Spechtcatiobr



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(zo Model.)

W. DAWSON. BooK REST.

YPatented Julyyl, 1890.

No. 431,o36.-

WITNESSES:

- (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shet 2.

W. DAWSON;

ABOOK REST. g l No. 431,036. PatentedJuly 1, 1890.

Www/@ UNITED STATES PATENT OFICE.

WILLIAM DAWSON, OF'PIIILADELP'HIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

9 A"1Bo cuestas-4:'.t...

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,086, dated July 1, 1890'. Application tiled June 24, 1889. Serial No. 315,435. (No model.)

-To all whom it may concern:

Beit known' that I, WILLIAM DAWSON, of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Book-Rests, whereof the following is a specification, reference beingr had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view illustrating the method of-using the rest. ...2 is aview in perspective of the rear s1 'of the rest and its stand; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View through the ball-and-socket joint by which l the rest is connected with the standard. Fig.

' hollow, and contains within its interior Amost 4 is a similar sectional view of the telescoping standard and its locking device. Fig. 5 is a view, on a much-enlargedscale, o'f the devices for holding-the leaves of-abook. in po-g,

sition. Fig. 6 is a view of the same parts' in position to release the leaves. Figs. 7, 8, and 9 are detail views of portions of said device. The scale of Figs.,1 and 2 are much smaller than that of the remaining figures.

Referring to the drawings, A represents4 a flat base-piece, rounded, as shown, so that it may conveniently be placed upon the seat of a chair4 and sat upon by the person who is"v using the rest. At one end of said basc piece is a tubular standard B, into which a second tube C telescopes. At the top-of the tube B, I provide a pivoted locking cam or eccentric D, (see Fig. 4,) by means of which the tube C may be secured at any desired height. .A1-.the top of the tube C is a rounded socket Lin which a ball-joint E its, said ball-joint being provided with a small overhanging screwcap H, by means of which it is held in place in the socket. At the bottom of the socket is a round hole, in which lits a plug K, having an inclined or wedge-shaped bottom, against which a thumb-screw J bears so that when said thumb-screw is turned in the plug K will be forced up against fthe bottom of the ball E, and clamp the upper surface of said ball against the overhanging edge of the screwcap H, so as tofhold the ball in any position in which it may be setin the top of the straight or upright telescoping standard. The ball is attached by means of a short curved neck'to a plate L, which supports the book-rack or book-holder F, having abottom ledge-strip G. This ledge-strip `G is made the center of the piece which forms the ledgestrip G is a pivot e, having a square head f,

toprevent its turning, and upon said pivot a disk c, provided with a lever-arm d, rotates freely. A coiled spring g, secured to said pivot and to said disk tends normally to throw the same so as to turn the lever-arm d into the position indicatedin Figs. 5 kand 7, so that it lies flat against the lower surface of `the ledge-strip G and out of the way. Connecting-rods 'b ,bA are `attached to the disk c diametrically opposite tol one another, and extend within the hollow of the ledge-strip G topgints a short distance -from the ends thereof, where theyare pivoted eccentrically to'v to disks h, upon which are mounted split' tubes z', havinga screw-thread' in their interior surface to receive the threaded end lo of the bent or cranked linger-pieces a. These tubes are pivotedfreely in openings through the outer or front edge of the ledge-strip G, so as to oscillate about their longitudinal axes in orderthat when thedisks hare turned the fingers a. will revolve through substantially a quadrant. The split tubes, it will be seen, constitute rock-shafts for the finger-pieces.

The points of attachment of the rods b b to their respective disks are s'o situated relatively to one another that when the disk c is in its normal position (shown in Fig. 5) the fingers a will be turned up nearly at right angles to the ledge-strip G, and will'consequently press upon the leaves of a book held v thereon.

When, however, the lever d is thrown out into th`e position indicated in Fig. 6, the shifting of the rods b b will throw down the fingers a, so that they are nearly parallelwith the upper surface of theledgestrip, and thus free the leaves of the book. l

The page can then be turned, and as soon as this isdone the lever d is released, where- .upon the spring g throws the disk c and the IOC book without ,aecting in any way their capacity for operation.

I am aware that it is not -new to provide book-rests with telescoping standards and with fingers for holding Athe leaves of a book,

and I do not claim the same; but

A I claiml 1. A book-rest comprising a broad flat basepiece, having a configuration adaptingv it to be placed upon a chair-seat to be sat upon by the occupant of the chair, a standard mounted upon -the base-piece, and a book-rack sup,- ported by said standard, substantially as Iand for the purpose set forth.

' 2. The combination of the flat baser-piece having a configuration adapting it to be sat upon, the upright telescoping standard mounted at its lower end at one end of the base-piece and having the socket at its upper end, the ball fitted lin the standard socket, the clamp for securing the ball against movement, and the book-rack carried by the ball,

zo` substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of the book-rack having the ledge-strip along its lower edge, the rock-shafts pivoted in openings through the outer or front edge of the ledge-strip, the cranked holding-fingers adjustable lengthwise of the rockfshafts, the disks attached to the rock-shafts, vthtu ming spring-actuated disk supported by the ledge-strip between the holdin g-ngers, the lever turning beneath l I the ledge-strip and secured to the springactuated disk, and the connecting-rods, each WM. DAWsoN.

Witnesses:

p EDWARD FELL LUKENs, JAMES H. BELL. 

